Texas Rangers Eye on the Enemy: Previewing the LA Angels series

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Following a surprising (yet much appreciated) three-game sweep over the Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers will keep it in the AL West for their next series, taking on the Los Angeles Angels.

In what has become somewhat of a routine for the Angels over recent years, the team is once again underperforming this season, despite possessing a roster full of big-name stars. LAA is currently 20-27, dead last in the AL West.

I checked in with our friends over at “Halo Hangout” to see what they had to say about our upcoming series, and here’s the direction they pointed me in:

Previewing the Texas Rangers-Los Angeles Angels series.

Shohei Ohtani

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One of the most popular names in all of baseball at the moment, Shohei Ohtani has ascended into superstardom this season due to his insane two-way abilities. One of the best hitters and best pitchers in the Major Leagues, a day doesn’t go by where Ohtani isn’t compared to Babe Ruth in some capacity.

Ohtani won’t pitch against the Texas Rangers this week – he’s being afforded some extra rest due to a velocity dip that he experienced in his most recent start. However, he’s still expected to hit for LA.

Currently batting .268 with a .938 OPS and 14 home runs, Ohtani is by far the Angels’ biggest bat at the moment.

With Mike Trout on the injured list and Anthony Rendon still struggling to make an impact following his own respective return from injury, Ohtani is the main player that the Rangers have to be worried about this week. Navigating around him in the middle of the order is a must.

May 23, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman Tony Kemp (5) reaches third on a triple ahead of Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) during the third inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

The Angels defense (or lack thereof).

To put it rather bluntly, the Angels defense has been really bad this season.

They lead the league in errors with 39, they rank dead last in fielding percentage at .977, and their defensive runs above average (-14.4) ranks only ahead of the Detroit Tigers. Needless to say, defense has not been one of the Angels’ specialities this season.

With Trout on the injured list and Rendon still recovering from his own health woes, it’s not too hard to see why the Angels have struggled to consistently make plays on the defensive side of the ball this season. Those are two players that LAA was expecting to “carry” the rest of the team from a defensive standpoint, with the understanding being that an elite defensive CF and an elite defense 3B can sometimes mask other issues.

Throw in the fact that LA lost 4x Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons this past offseason during free agency, and their defensive woes make even more sense. That was another player who had really uplifted guys around him due to his elite range at SS.

For the Texas Rangers, taking advantage of this weakness happens simply by putting a ton of balls into play. A slow grounder to the left side could genuinely result in a single this week.

Jared Walsh

The last piece of information that “Halo Hangout” pointed out to me was that of Jared Walsh, a former 39th round draft pick who has somehow found his way to the Major Leagues, and is performing admirably well.

Here’s a bit of what the “Halo Hangout” had to say about Walsh earlier this week:

Despite all of this, Walsh is still something of an unknown quantity outside of the Angels fanbase. However, with franchise linchpin Mike Trout now set to miss six to eight weeks with a right-calf strain, the time is now for Walsh to step up and make a name for himself. In Trout’s absence, Walsh is the de facto best position player on the team, at least until Shohei Ohtani starts getting more reps in the outfield. With an MVP-sized gap in the lineup, more attention than ever will be on Walsh to help carry the team for the foreseeable future. This is even more pressing considering that perennial MVP candidate Anthony Rendon is off to the worst start of his career at the plate. Under these circumstances, Walsh can finally show the greater MLB community what he’s made of, proving that the Angels are more than just Trout and Ohtani. If all goes right and the Halos do manage to hang on until Trout returns, the story will be of how Walsh hunkered down, put the offense on his back and got the job done. By then, he will likely have earned his first All-Star selection and, assuming he keeps up his current production, be in the thick of the AL MVP race alongside Ohtani.

Currently possessing a .951 OPS at the moment, it’s hard to ignore the production that Walsh has been giving Los Angeles. Keep an eye on him throughout the series.

dark. Next. What the sweep over Houston says about the Texas Rangers culture

Game one of this AL West series kicks off later tonight, with Hyeon-jong Yang taking on Angels’ lefty Andrew Heaney. Make sure to go toss @HaloHangout a follow on Twitter as well!

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Previewing the Texas Rangers-Los Angeles Angels series.

Shohei Ohtani

More from Nolan Writin'

The Angels defense (or lack thereof).

Jared Walsh

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